


Papa Knows Best

by apropensityforcharm



Series: Season 6 Reaction Fics [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: 6x04 reaction, Canon Compliant, Gen, M/M, fairly neutral attitude towards Walter, if that's relevant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:05:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3256031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apropensityforcharm/pseuds/apropensityforcharm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"'Dad,' Kurt interrupts, 'he's older than you.'"<br/>6x04 reaction. In which Kurt tells Burt about Walter, and Burt is... conflicted. Canon compliant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Papa Knows Best

Kurt comes home from his date with that Walter kid looking – serious. Not upset, because an upset Kurt is also a  _loud_ Kurt, but pensive. When he stops in the doorway to the living room, he has a tiny crease between his brows and his hands fiddle restlessly with his car keys. He looks at Burt, sunken into the armchair in front of the TV, and his frown deepens.

Burt draws himself up slowly. ‘You okay, kiddo?’ he asks warily. ‘You, uh – seem quiet.’

When Kurt had first started dating Blaine, it had flustered the two of them to even be in the same room together. They’d taken each other on dates and Kurt would float back into the house much later on, looking quite like he couldn’t believe he’d found himself in an actual fairy tale romance. He and Carole had watched from the kitchen as had Kurt whirled up to his room, already on the phone to his girls, and every date had only seemed to increase his elation.

Kurt doesn’t look like that now.

‘I’m fine, dad,’ he says. ‘I’m – yeah, I’m fine.’

Burt’s eyebrows raise. ‘Oh yeah? Because I distinctly remember you telling me once upon a time that if your date doesn’t leave you feeling like a prince, he’s not worth a second go. You tellin’ me you feel like royalty right now?’

A not-quite-smile tugs at the corner of Kurt’s lips. ‘Quite intolerant of me in retrospect.’

‘And yet,’ Burt continues, ‘you’d think that if a date goes well, it should at least leave you feelin’  _happy.’_

‘It didn’t turn out to be a date, per se,’ Kurt says slowly.

Burt’s eyebrows raise. ‘Right,’ he says. And waits.

It takes a moment, but then Kurt is flopping down onto the couch next to him, sighing loudly. ‘He wasn’t exactly what I was expecting,’ he says.

‘Spit it out, kid,’ Burt says.

A beat, and then –

‘He’s older,’ Kurt exhales.

Ah.

‘Well,’ Burt says eventually. ‘Things like that happen these days, it’s not so strange, you know, people are don’t have to stick to the set of rules – ‘

‘Dad,’ Kurt interrupts, ‘he’s older than you.’

And  _that_ makes Burt stop, because he saw the guy’s profile picture when Kurt told him that he had a date and there is no way in hell that that guy was older than  _Burt._

‘He lied to you,’ Burt says flatly and Kurt sinks lower in his seat, which is confirmation enough. ‘He  _lied_ to you, what the  _hell,_ Kurt, what were you thinking?’

‘Well obviously I didn’t  _know_ he was lying or I probably wouldn’t have gone,’ Kurt snaps, folding his arms sulkily.

‘Sorry, kiddo, I just – this is why people tell you to be careful on the internet, you know?’

Kurt sighs again and leans his head back so he’s staring at the ceiling. ‘He had a wife for thirty three years. He has kids my age.’

‘Jesus, Kurt.’

Kurt doesn’t say anything, just continues staring up at the ceiling with that inscrutable expression on his face, like he’s not quite thinking about anything at all.

Burt opens his mouth – words like  _grooming_ and  _force_ and  _lecher_ keep bouncing off the walls of his skull because that Walter kid – fuck, man –  _lied_ to his boy – but Kurt cuts him off.

‘He’s a nice person, dad,’ he says, and the weariness of his voice tells him that he knew exactly what Burt was thinking.

‘Nice people don’t willingly lie to twenty year olds on the internet – ‘

‘They do when they’re scared,’ Kurt says and  _god,_ Burt will love his kid forever, but sometimes his belief in the goodness of humanity makes Burt want to smack him upside the head, because  _how many times_ does he have to be hurt before he understands that not everyone has his best interests at heart?

‘We’re not  _dating_ anyway,’ Kurt goes on. ‘We’ve decided to be friends.’

‘Right,’ Burt says sceptically. ‘And that was a mutual decision, was it?’

Kurt gives him a flat look. ‘He says that we can ‘see where it goes’. It’s going nowhere, to be sure, but we have a lot in common, so I don’t see what’s so wrong with being friends.’

What’s wrong with being friends is that he has the potential to be  _dangerous,_ Kurt, do you truly not understand that?

Burt doesn’t say anything.

Kurt’s voice voice drops lower. ‘I – I felt like I was going to throw up before he arrived anyway, so I’m not sure I’m ready. For, you know... dating.’

When Burt had received a phone call from Kurt some six months ago now, he’d scarcely been able to believe what he was hearing. Kurt, his voice shaky but clear, telling Burt that he and Blaine were no longer getting married. That he’d broken it off, and he just wanted to know if Burt could maybe let their family know that the engagement was off. No, dad, he’s fine, he was the one who ended it, wasn’t he? Maybe he could give Blaine a hug the next time he sees him.

And then Kurt had said that he was coming back to Lima to do his third year NYADA course, would it be alright if he moves back in for the year? And when he’d shown up in the Columbus airport on an appropriately drizzly day, he’d seemed smaller somehow, deflated and quieter than he’d ever been. He barely even smiled when Carole made his favourite dish as a coming home dinner.

And Burt has watched Kurt for weeks now, watched the way even standing straight he doesn’t stand  _tall._ He worries because his Kurt is nothing if not proud, and yet his boy is walking around as though his spirit has been flattened, and he acts like he’s fine, like nothing can touch him, and people believe him. Burt is Kurt’s  _dad._ He knows he’s not fine.

(One night, Kurt had been out and when he’d got back he’d stalked back to his room without so much as a hello. The next afternoon he’d done the exact same thing. Rachel had trotted in behind him and flicked a worried glance between the two of them and then hurriedly whispered to Burt, ‘Blaine’s dating someone else.’ It had taken some further investigation to find out that ‘someone’ was none other than David fucking Karofsky. For a moment Burt truly could have punched Blaine.)

Kurt had come to him last night and said, ‘I have a date tomorrow, so I won’t be able to make dinner if that’s alright?’ Burt had felt the relief like a blow to his head because he  _did_ love Blaine, but Kurt is his kid and his happiness will always be most important to him. And if dating again means that he gets that confidence back in his step? Then Burt’s on his side.

But now he’s not ready after all, and Burt wonders if he ever was.

‘Well, kiddo, you know I’ll be in your corner whatever choice you make,’ Burt says finally. ‘And, you know, if you need some time... that’s alright too.’

Kurt drops his head back down and smiles. It’s not a particularly happy smile – Burt hasn’t seen one of those for a long time – but it’s genuine. ‘I know,’ he says. ‘I think I knew that even before tonight. I just... I needed to make it real.’

He doesn’t clarify what ‘it’ is, but Burt doesn’t need to ask. Kurt doesn’t talk as much as he used to but Burt knows his son, and he knows that he’s only now letting himself accept that breaking off the engagement doesn’t in any way means he’s over Blaine. He still has to do the work to accept that it’s okay to not be fine for a little while as well. He’ll get there. He’s a smart boy.

‘Just be careful, yeah?’ Burt says, because Kurt’s not smart about  _everything._ ‘With the Walter kid – guy. The Walter guy.’ Kurt rolls his eyes but Burt continues, ‘I know you think he’s harmless and sure, maybe he is, but just be careful buddy. Okay?’

‘Okay, dad,’ Kurt says, too patient.

‘Promise me, Kurt.’

Kurt is silent for a moment. Then he says quietly, ‘Yeah, dad. I promise.’

Burt reaches over to ruffle Kurt’s hair and Kurt jerks out of his grip, like he always does, but he’s smiling now, at least a little happier than he was when he got in. ‘Now get out of here,’ Burt instructs. ‘Half time’s almost over and this is a big game.’

Kurt hesitates a moment and then asks, ‘Maybe I could watch it with you?’

Burt smiles. ‘Of course, buddy.’

Soon enough, Kurt falls asleep on Burt’s shoulder and Burt runs a hand through his hand and wonders when his kid’s life got so complicated. He not sure when it became a privilege rather than a right to know what’s going on with Kurt and he knows there’s stuff that he’s missing with regards to Blaine and the break up. But as long as Kurt feels safe to fall asleep at his side the same as he did when he was nine, he knows he’ll stick it out by his kid’s side, no matter the choices he makes. He’ll be there through this Walter fiasco and he’ll be there when whatever’s brewing with Blaine comes to a head, and he’ll be there past that too. Because Kurt is his kid and he’ll  _always_ be the most important thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and/or comments would be greatly appreciated. <3


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